The Adriatic NLB League returned with some thrilling games over the weekend, including a 45-point effort from Milan Gurovic that wasn't enough for his team, Crvena Zvezda, because FMP used overtime to win their game, 95-94 on Saturday. Dusko Savanovic led FMP with 26 points while Milos Teodosic had 16 and the game-winner. Gurovic drew 16 fouls and hit 19 of 23 free throws for C. Zvezda. Partizan had less trouble against Hemofarm, rolling to an 80-49 win in Belgrade to take first place in the competition. Kosta Perovic led the way with 17 points, as Partizan went up 41-22 at halftime and never looked back. Union Olimpija got a valuable road win by edging rival Geoplin Slovan 71-75 behind Ender Arslan's 17 points and Saso Ozbolt's 15. Cibona also started strong with a 68-77 win Buducnost as Davor Kus came off the bench for 26. In other games, Zadar held off a huge Siroki Eronet rally for an 88-91 road win, Zagreb beat Helios Domzale 78-63, and Split edged Bosna Asa BHT 85-81.
Partizan opened the Adriatic League in style by thrashing Hemofarm 80-49 in Belgrade on Saturday. Perovic led the winners with 17 points while Luka Bogdanovic and Predrag Drobnjak each added 13 for Partizan. Vladan Vukosavljevic had 13 points for Hemofarm while Nebojsa Joksimovic added 12. Partizan limited Hemofarm to just 2 points in the final 6 minutes of the first quarter, while three-pointer by Drobnjak and Bogdanovic gave the hosts a 18-6 lead after 10 minutes. Perovic took over with 11 points in the second quarter to give Partizan a 41-22 halftime margin. Hemofarm improved its offense after the break, but Partizan managed to keep a 58-39 lead at the end of the third quarter and cruise to a well-deserved win. Union Olimpija showed its power by edging Geoplin Slovan 71-75 on the road in a rematch of last year's Slovenian League finals. Erden Arslan led the way for Olimpija with 17 points, Saso Ozbolt added 15, Christian Maraker 12 and Manu Markoishvili 11 for Olimpija. Maraker nailed a triple that capped a 3-14 opening run, enough to keep an 8-19 margin after 10 minutes. Slovan rallied late in the second quarter and managed to tie the game, 36-36, at halftime. Things remained balanced in the third period, as even when Slovan led 49-44, a 3-12 run that Ozbolt capped with a triple allowed Olimpija to keep a 55-56 edge after 30 minutes. Back-to-back triples by Ozbolt gave Olimpija its biggest lead, 60-69, but Slovan was back within 71-73 in the final minute. Free throws by Arslan and Manu Markoishvili sealed the win.
FMP survived a tough battle by edging Crvena Zvezda 95-94 in overtime on Saturday. Dusko Savanovic led FMP with 26 points while Milos Teodosic had 16, including the game-winner at the buzzer. Mladen Pantic also had 16 points, Alkesandar Rasic 13 and Bojan Krstovic 11. Milan Gurovic led Zvezda with 45 points on 19 of 23 free throws while Vrbica Stefanov added 13. Pantic had 9 points in a 15-6 opening run which allowed FMP to take a 23-19 lead after 10 minutes. FMP's attack remained warm with Savanovic, Teodosic and Krstovic boosting the hosts' margin to 36-25 midway through the second quarter. Savanovic followed a three-pointer with a jumper to make it a 12-point game, 48-36, at halftime. Zvezda, led by an unstoppable Gurovic, managed to rally from a 15-point deficit early in the third quarter to get within 63-58 at the end of the period and eventually send the game to overtime, 84-84. Once in the extra period, it will came down to the final seconds, in which Teodosic scored to give FMP a big win in thrilling fashion. Cibona had a big fourth quarter to separate itself from Buducnost after three tight quarters 68-77. The hosts led by a bucket after 10 minutes, 21-19, and it was Cibona on top by two by halftime, 38-40. Brent Wright helped Cibona go up by as many as 6 in the third, but by the end Kus's basket kept the team up by just 1, 55-56. Kus came through with 13 points in the final six minutes, including a triple to break a 61-61 tie as Cibona scored the road win. Kus missed just one shot on his way to 26, while Wright finished with 20 and Marin Rozic added 13. Miljan Pavkovic scored 16 and Vladimir Micov 12 in defeat.